Samantha Barks, Arthur Darvill, Maxwell Caulfield and More Announced for London Musical Theatre Orchestra's HONEYMOON IN VEGAS

After the resounding success of Rodgers & Hammerstein's State Fair (Cadogan Hall November 2016) and the sell out concert of Alan Menken & Lynn Ahrens' A Christmas Carol (Lyceum Theatre, December 2016), with numerous five star reviews for both performances, The London Musical Theatre Orchestra is delighted to announce the full casting for its first concert of the 2017 season, the hit Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas.

Joining previously announced principal cast members Samantha Barks (Betsy) and Arthur Darvill (Jack) will be Maxwell Caulfield (Tommy), Rosemary Ashe (Bea), Nicolas Colicos (Johnny) and Simon Lipkin (Buddy), with supporting roles played by Daniel Amity, Maisey Bawden and Hywel Dowsell.

Following the huge success of A Christmas Carol, Shaun Kerrison will be returning to direct the production.

Cast announced so far:

TOMMY: Maxwell Caulfield - UK Theatre includes: Guys and Dolls and Singin' In The Rain, Sir Peter Hall's Bedroom Farce (UK National Tours), Chicago (London, West End). In America: La Cage Aux Folles, My Fair Lady, A Little Night Music , Pirates of Penzance, Sweet Bird of Youth, Inspector Calls (Broadway), My Night with Reg, Mysterious Mr.Love, Salonika (Public Theatre), Class Enemy and Entertaining Mr. Sloane. Television and Film Includes: Grease 2, Empire Records, The Real Blonde, The Boys Next Door, Casualty, Emmerdale, The Colbys (ABC) and The Elephant Man.

BETSY: Samantha Barks - Samantha is best known for playing Eponine in Les Miserables, a role she played in the West End, the 25th Anniversary Concerts at the O2, and in the 2012 film adaptation. Recent theatre credits include: Cathy Last Five Years (St James Theatre); the title role in the world premiere of Amelie - A New Musical (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Mallory/Avril in City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse), Velma Kelly in Chicago (Hollywood Bowl) and Sally Bowles in Cabaret (UK Tour). Recent film credits include: Interlude in Prague (Stillking Films), Bitter Harvest (Devil's Harvest Productions), The Canary (Pioneer Pictures), the voice of Miss Acacia in Jack & The Cuckoo-Clock Heart (EuropaCorp) and The Christmas Candle (Pinewood Studios).

JACK: Arthur Darvill - Training: RADA. Theatre includes: Treasure Island (National Theatre), Once (Bernard B.Jacobs Theatre NYC and Phoenix Theatre UK), Our Boys (Duchess Theatre), Soft Cops (RSC), Doctor Faustus (Shakespeare's Globe), Swimming With Sharks (Vaudeville), Terre Haute (Trafalgar Studios, National Tour), Stacey (Arcola), Terre Haute (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh). Television and Film Includes:Legends of Tomorrow (Berlanti Productions), Danny and The Human Zoo (BBC), Broadchurch (Kudos for ITV), The White Queen (BBC), The Paradise (BBC), Doctor Who (BBC), Little Dorritt (BBC), He Kills Coppers (Ecosse), The Verdict (RDF), Robin Hood (Imagine Entertainment), Sex, Drugs, Rock N Roll (Lipsync Productions), Pelican Blood (Ecosse). Other work: Arthur is also a composer, his credits include: Fantastic Mr Fox (Nuffield/Lyric/Curve), I Want My Hat Back (National Theatre), Been So Long (Young Vic, Traverse), Lightning Child (Globe), The Frontline (Globe), Stoopud Fucken Animals (Traverse), Crazy Love (Paines Plough), Is Everyone Ok? (Nabokov), Artifacts (Bush).

BEA: Rosemary Ashe - Rosie has just completed a national tour of Sister Act playing Sister Mary Lazarus. West End Theatre Includes: Carlotta, the Prima Donna Les Miserables (Queen's Theatre - original Cast), Widow Corney in Oliver!, Cunegonde in Candide, Manon in Bitter Sweet, Forbidden Broadway, Felicia Gabriel in The Witches of Eastwick (for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical, Miss Andrew, the nasty nanny in Mary Poppins, & Lottie Grady in When We Are Married. Recently she has been performing her one woman tribute to Ethel Merman: 'Call Me Merman', to great acclaim, played Betty in the Great American Trailer Park Musical (Waterloo East Theatre) and has created roles in 2 new British musicals: Grandma Mole in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 & ¾ (Leicester Curve) & Miss Bleacher in Crush (The Belgrade). She has appeared with English National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Sadlers Wells Opera, Opera Northern Ireland & Carl Rosa in many different roles including Musetta in La Boheme, Helene in La Belle Helene, Frasquita in Carmen & Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte.

JOHNNY: Nicolas Colicos - UK theatre includes: Buffalo Bill in Annie Get Your Gun (Sheffield Crucible), Joe in I'm Getting My Act Together... (Jermyn St. Theatre), The Soldier in Sunday In The Park with George (Royal National Theatre), Mitch in Streetcar Named Desire (Bristol Old Vic), Curly in Oklahoma(National Tour), Wreck in Wonderful Town! (Queen's Theatre). Originated roles in The Bodyguard (Adelphi), Sister Act (Palladium), The Producers (Drury Lane), Mamma Mia! (Prince Edward), Whistle Down The Wind (Aldwych), Sunset Boulevard (Adelphi), Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (Palladium). Television and Film work includes: Kingsman 2, Strasberg in Rude Boy (BBC), Mackenzie in Hot Metal (LWT), The New Statesman, The Detectives (LWT), Henry Savage in Wodehouse On Broadway (BBC), David Kessler in Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less (BBC), Hugh Clegg in Bomb Story (BBC), Hank in That's Love (TVS), Lt. Green in Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Reuben in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Paul in Superman IV, Connors in Iron Eagle II.

BUDDY - Simon Lipkin - Theatre includes: Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls (West End); Bill Sykes in Oliver! (Grange Park Opera); Lou Lubowitz in Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre); The Lorax in The Lorax (Old Vic Theatre); The Proprietor in Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory); Touchstone in As You Like It (Southwark Playhouse); Barlow in I Can't Sing (London Palladium); Lonny in Rock Of Ages (Original West End Cast); Galahad in Spamalot (Original West End Cast); I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Arts Theatre, London); The Wedding Singer (Original UK Cast); Willard in Footloose (UK Tour); A Christmas Carol (West End); Alice In Wonderland (Nuffield Theatre); Austentatious (The Landor); News Revue (Canal Café) and Leopold in Never The Sinner at the Kenneth Moore Theatre. Film and TV include: Show Dogs, Muppets Most Wanted for Disney, The Harry Hill Movie, That Puppet Game Show and Nativity III, Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule, Doctor Who, Harry Hill's Tea Time, The Bill, Casualty, The Royal Variety Performance, Children In Need.

Other roles in the production will be played by members of the LMTO chorus, including: Will Arundell, Lizzie Bea, Austen Garrett, Alice Gruden, Charlotte Kennedy, Richard James King, Emma Kingston, Lauren Lockley, Laura Messin, Oliver Stanley, Sam Thomas, Rebecca Ridout, Adam Small, Alex Ryland-Jones, Tim Southgate and Victoria Quigley.

Synopsis

Based on the hit 1992 film starring Sarah Jessica Parker, and Nicholas Cage, Honeymoon in Vegas tells the story of mild-mannered Brooklynite, Jack, who haunted by the fear of a promise to his dying mother never to get married, avoids proposing to his new girlfriend Betsy. He finally summons the nerve and takes Betsy to Las Vegas only to have his plans compromised by a dashing gambler with an eye for luxury and Jack's new fiancée.

The New York Times called the Broadway production "[a] bright and bouncy...real-live, old-fashioned, deeply satisfying Broadway musical in a way few new shows are anymore."

Honeymoon in Vegas- book by Andrew Bergman and score by Tony-Award winning Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Songs For A New World, The Last Five Years and The Bridges of Madison County) - ran on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre -this concert will see it performed in London for the very first time.

The 30-strong London Musical Theatre Orchestra will take to the London Palladium stage on 12th March 2017 under the baton of its first guest conductor, the show's composer Jason Robert Brown, to honour the stylish and swinging score of Honeymoon in Vegas which marks another much anticipated UK Premiere for the orchestra.

Jason Robert Brown said:

"Honeymoon in Vegas is the show I always aspired to write. All of these sounds - the swing, the samba, the disco, the boogie, the rock'n'roll - make up what I hear in my head when I think of what a 'Broadway musical' should be. I'm so gratified to have actually written it, and thrilled to get a chance - finally! - to present it in London. And to know that the music will be brought to life by the sterling musicians of the LMTO and a glorious cast is such a delight and a privilege. I've had so many sensational experiences in the British theater that it feels like coming home. I cannot wait to get started!"

In keeping with the long term aim of the LMTO, the fully orchestrated concerts aims to not only make orchestral performances accessible to brand new audiences, but also to bring the exciting repertoire of musical theatre to a more classical audience.

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